CONSTRUCTION & TECHNOLOGY

Gizmodo friend Gerald Donovan has sent us an amazing 2.6 GB, 360-degree panorama from the very top of the highest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. You know, where Tom Cruise perched to be closer to Xenu and look out over all of us lousy, pill-popping humans. It'll take your breath away.

For Burj Khalifa, completed in 2010 for $1.5 billion, Otis designed a system using double-deck cars, computerized dispatch and its compact Gen2 lifts, which replace steel ropes with polyurethane-coated belts and bulky motors with smaller gearless drives, eliminating the need for a large engine room.

“At 820 metres, the metro link is one of the longest of its kind, linking Dubai Metro with the leading retail and lifestyle destination in Dubai,” said Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director, Emaar Properties. “The direct connection with the Dubai Metro, which is now one of the most popular public transport modes in the city, will help in reducing vehicular traffic, and enable visitors to simply walk across from the station to Downtown Dubai through a temperature-controlled travellator.”

The much anticipated fireworks display that will illuminate the night sky from the Burj Khalifa to usher in 2013 will be synchronised with live orchestral music. Following its spectacular New Year’s Eve gala in 2010 and 2011, Emaar Properties, the event’s host, will hold its third New Year fireworks display synchronised and choreographed to a live performance from the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra on December 31.

A famous Dubai landmark will soon find its way on license plate near you as the Roads and Transports Authority approves a plan to personalise your drive. The service is set to roll out next year by end of Q1, with future initiatives including personalised corporate logos on number plates, or even an image of your favourite local football club.

A new Russian helicopter could put out a fire at the top of the 163-story Burj Khalifa – the tallest building in the world at 828 metres – when the complexities of high altitude make using traditional fire-fighting techniques impossible, a Russian Helicopters official told the High-Rise Aerial Firefighting & Rescue conference at Dubai Helishow 2012.

The specialist firm cleans about seven million windows a year for 220 clients - something which takes more than 3,000 man hours each day. The firm that cleans the Burj Khalifa is looking to raise its environmental policies to new heights - after signing an agreement to become the first in its industry to become carbon neutral.

The total value of property transactions in Dubai crossed Dh 83 billion in the first nine months of the year with Burj Khalifa area topping the list of most traded areas in units terms, according to Dubai Land Department. The total transactions from January to September stood at 27,452 with cash sales crossing Dh43 billion and mortgage sales touching Dh36.3 billion for all kinds of properties.

This image from the Pleiades satellite shows part of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Located south east of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula, Dubai lies within the Arabian Desert. The city is a major business hub, and its revenues come from tourism, real estate and financial services.

At more than 828 meters or 2,716.5 feet, the 160-story Burj Khalifa, formerly Burj Dubai, is the tallest building in the world and features more than 167,000 square meters or 1.8 million square feet of glass. About twice the height of New York’s Empire State Building, the tower is sheathed in close to 26,000 glass panels over a total curtain wall area of 132,000 square meters.